Vulnerable pensioners are being preyed upon by gangs of thieves on the 183 bus which travels through Harrow and Pinner.

It is believed a large number of elderly people are being targeted especially at busy times of the day in the late afternoon. Bags are being slashed and purses stolen from OAPs unaware they have been made victims of the pickpockets.

Donald O'Connor from West Harrow is furious his mother has had three purses stolen from thieves on the bus this year. He said: "You might think my mother is unlucky but she appears to be one of a large number of elderly people that have been preyed upon on the 183 by organised gangs of pickpockets and thieves.

"A friend of my mother, also a pensioner, recently had her bag slashed on the bus while she was unaware, to get access to her contents. Another local pensioner had her keys stolen and had to change the locks of her house."

Mr O'Connor contacted Transdev, which operates a fleet of more than 100 buses throughout north west London, including the 183. He said: "As a fairly active pensioner and widower, my mother regularly enjoys taking the 183 bus to Harrow and Pinner. These trips break up and enliven what can be fairly long days for a retired person that lives alone.

"I am absolutely sickened that our senior citizens, who are good people, can be violated in such a way with such depressing regularity over time with apparently nothing being done. I understand that Transdev is not a police force but if crime is so rife and regular then surely it has a moral obligation to protect its customers, particularly the old and vulnerable."

A spokesman for Transdev said: "We are very concerned about the recent incident on the route 183. We work closely with Transport for London, the Metropolitan Police and the Harrow Safer Transport Team to help identify criminals.

"All our buses are equipped with CCTV and we would urge anyone who is a victim of crime to report it to the driver immediately, or contact us as soon after the incident as possible, to enable us to secure this footage."

Have you been targeted by the gangs? Call Tara Brady on 01895 451 000.